Last night, Clément Calleja of Champagne Billecart-Salmon kicked off our annual staff Champagne Summit with a big bang. He hosted a comprehensive tasting of their line paired with sushi from Kanpai at Cinnamon’s and my home in Menlo Park. The wines were unforgettable.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter is an ode to summer in its dog days. Since we all know most of California has plenty of summer left, our buyers reflect on their favorite go-to winners that shine the brightest during the warm weather.
Read MoreThis June, I traveled back to Champagne to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Champagne Launois. It was an honor to be invited. The party was unforgettable, hosted by no less than four generations of the family at their beautiful château just outside of Mesnil. There we spent the afternoon tasting, eating, and drinking… a six hour Champenois lunch!
Read MoreAt the end of May, I was lucky enough to be hosted at Champagne Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil by none other than cellarmaster Florent Nys. We have known each other for many years, but I hadn’t had the chance to sit down with him since before the pandemic. He invited me into the new reception area at Billecart, and poured quite the tasting.
Read MoreToday I traveled to the very far south of Champagne, in the Aube department to visit my friend Vivien Lamoureux at Champagne J.J. Lamoureux in the beautiful village of Les Riceys. This is the southern tip of Champagne and only three short miles from the departmental border with Burgundy. Here the soil is not the pure white chalk of the Marne area, but rather nearly the same Kimmeridgian clay as in Chablis. Notably, Pinot Noir is king in this area, as Chardonnay buds too early and is at high risk for frost on all but the steepest and most perfectly east-facing sites.
Read MoreToday I drove over to La Petite Montagne to visit Frédérique and Hughes in the village of Sacy. They own 15 acres of vineyard in this village as well as 20 acres in the villages of Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly-la-Montagne, and Ludes. They split their production between Sacy vines, which include the historic Jany Poret name, and the rest, which are just called Duménil to respect the two separate families that became one when they married. All their wines are entirely 1er Cru, stainless-steel-fermented, and of exceptional quality. They have been members of the association “Special Club” since 2010, and, like all the others in this group, are in the top echelon of grower Champagne.
Read MoreOne of the highlights of any trip to Champagne for me is a stop to see my old friend Quentin Paillard in Bouzy. We have been working together for more than a decade, and, in that time, he and his brother Anotine have taken this house to the top level of grower Champagne. Their goal is simple—to make terroir-driven Champagne from their old, massal-selected vines in Bouzy. This cru is renowned in Champagne for its powerful Pinot Noir that, at its best, does not lose its refreshing cut and clean minerality. In Quentin and Antoine’s hands, this cru is truly at its best.
Read MoreIt is bottling season for a lot of producers in Champagne, and when I went to visit Pierre Gonet, who makes Pierre Mineral Champagne, he was in the middle of the job…
Read MoreI just returned from the most over-the-top wine trip of my life—and it wasn’t even to a wine-producing country! Champagne Krug invited me, along with about 80 of their top ambassade from around the world, on a two day “Highlands Quest”—filled with more great Krug than anyone has a right to drink in a lifetime. I still don’t think it has all sunk in…
Read MoreThis Friday night, Cinnamon and I shared a bottle of the greatest young vintage I have ever tasted from the legendary house of Krug, their monumental 2008. Expectations were high for this bottle, given that it was the most anticipated release in my 22 years of doing the Champagne buying at K&L. Those expectations were exceeded. This wine will be a legend like 1945 Mouton, 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle, or 1921 Salon. They nailed it.
Read MoreI have been waiting for the release of the 25th iteration of Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle for years, and, now that it is here, I am happy to say it has delivered on all my expectations.
Read MoreWe have been working with Vivien Lamoureux from Champagne Jean Jacques Lamoureux for seven years now, and their wines have always been not only a great representation of the terroir of their village, Les Riceys, but also a great value. Now, with the world inflating around us, and especially the prices of Champagne shooting up, these wines are a real steal… Especially Vivien’s $36.99 tête de cuvée bottling, the Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut.
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